Toasted Oatmeal with Strawberry Chia Jam and Coconut Whipped Cream

Other potential titles for this post included, “Three of my favorite things” or “Recipes I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You About”. I’ve been feeling under the weather for the past week, but now that I can finally smell and taste properly again, I’m back to make up for my absence with three recipes in one. (A better blogger would have recipes on reserve for occasions like these, but then again, I have to be sufficiently excited about a recipe to post it and I could hardly stand to sit on a good one.)

Each component is delightful on its own, but they just so happen to combine marvelously well in one breakfast bowl. Nutty, fruity, creamy—yes, more, please.

I’ll give you a rundown of each. The oatmeal cooking technique, which I discovered in Megan Gordan’s Whole-Grain Mornings cookbook, yields nutty and fluffy (not at all mushy) oatmeal.

The strawberry chia jam utilizes summer’s finest [frozen] strawberries, a dollop of natural sweetener and thickens with the help of “superfood” chia seeds. It cooks down in under thirty minutes and tastes much fresher and brighter than store-bought jams.

Lastly, coconut whipped cream has already taken the internet by storm, for good reason. I like it just as much, if not more than, freshly whipped cream. It’s better for you, too.

Since I haven’t been feeling well, I’ve been paying extra attention to the fuel that I’ve been consuming. I’m not a nutritionist, but I believe that this breakfast is excellent fuel. It’s full of whole grains, seeds, fruit and healthy fat. And more than that, it’s crazy delicious and brightens up dreary winter mornings with a swirl of shocking pink. Can’t beat that!

I should mention that while I was snuggled up with sweet Cookie in front of the TV (House of Cards season two!), I researched foods that heal and fight inflammation. The internet says those foods are vegetables, fruits, whole grains, seeds… everything I’m already accustomed to eating! High five, self. Way to treat yourself kindly, recipe makers. Hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I do.

Three healthy recipes in one bowl: the best toasted oatmeal, (frozen) strawberry chia jam and coconut whipped cream. This breakfast is easily vegan and gluten free (see notes). If you're making the coconut whipped cream, be sure to chill your coconut milk overnight, and place your mixing bowl in the freezer at least 30 minutes.

Ingredients

Strawberry chia jam (yields about 1 cup, you might want to double these amounts so you'll have more for later)

1 bag (12 ounces) frozen organic strawberries or other berries*

2 to 3 tablespoons honey, maple syrup or agave nectar

1 tablespoon chia seeds

Toasted oatmeal

1 to 2 tablespoons coconut oil or butter

2 cups rolled oats

1½ cups + 2 tablespoons water

½ cup milk of choice (I used light coconut milk)

Generous pinch kosher or sea salt

Pinch of ground cinnamon (optional)

Pinch of ground ginger (optional)

Optional mix-ins: flax seeds, shredded coconut, toasted nuts, etc.

Coconut whipped cream

1 can (14 ounces) full fat coconut milk, chilled at least 10 hours (the coconut milk MUST be full fat and MUST be refrigerated for at least 10 hours. Put a mixing bowl in the freezer or refrigerator to chill while you're at it.)

1 tablespoon honey, maple syrup or agave nectar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

The strawberry chia jam takes the longest to make, so let's start with the jam: In a medium saucepan, combine the berries (no need to defrost if they are frozen) and sweetener. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once the berries are warmed throughout and saucy (5 minutes or more), lightly mash the berries with a potato masher or fork.

Reduce the heat to medium low. Stir in the chia seeds and cook, stirring frequently, until the jam is reduced and looking, for lack of better term, jammy (15 to 20 minutes). Note that the jam will further thicken up as it cools. Remove the pan from heat and add more sweetener if you'd like.

Make the oatmeal: Melt the coconut oil/butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oats and toast over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they start smelling fragrant and toasty, around 6 to 8 minutes.

In a large, heavy bottomed pot, combine the milk, water, salt, cinnamon and ginger. Bring the mixture to a slow boil over medium heat. Add the toasted oats and gently stir once or twice to incorporate the oats into the liquid. Cover the pot and turn off the heat. Let the oats sit on the burner, untouched, for 7 minutes. After 7 minutes, uncover and check the oats. Mine were perfectly done at this point, but if yours are wetter than you'd like, let them continue to absorb water in a covered pot for a few more minutes.

Make the coconut whipped cream: Pull out the chilled can of coconut milk and mixing bowl. The coconut cream should have separated from the liquid by now. Flip the can over and open it from the bottom with a can opener. Pour out the coconut water (reserve for smoothies if you'd like).

Scoop the solid coconut cream into the chilled bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, beat the cream until fluffy and smooth. Add the sweetener and vanilla extract and gently blend again to combine. Use the coconut cream immediately or cover and store in the fridge for later (it will be soft at room temperature and firm when cold).

Notes

Oatmeal recipe adapted from Megan Gordan's Whole-Grain Mornings cookbook. Chia jam and coconut whipped cream cooking techniques adapted from Angela Liddon's forthcoming The Oh She Glows Cookbook. (You can pre-order it now! Angela has a step-by-step coconut whipped cream tutorial here and a recipe for blueberry vanilla chia jam here.) *On using frozen berries: I really recommend frozen berries for this jam. They break down especially well once heated and taste better than off-season berries. Angela says that fresh strawberries don't break down as well as other berries, so if you're using fresh strawberries, she recommends breaking them down in a food processor before cooking.Recipe yields 2 very large or 4 moderate portions. Store leftover components separately in the refrigerator, covered. You might want to add a bit of water while reheating the oats.Make it gluten free: Use certified gluten-free oats.Make it vegan: Use coconut oil instead of butter and maple syrup or agave nectar instead of honey.If you want to add more protein to this breakfast, top your oatmeal with nuts and/or Greek yogurt.

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Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #cookieandkate!

Just stunning photos! What a swirly bowl of heaven. :)
I think we must be on the same wavelength because I just made a batch of this jam using a bag of frozen strawberries this week. I don’t know why I haven’t enough of pairing the whipped cream with it on oatmeal, but I’ll be doing that tomorrow.
Thanks for the shout out, by the way!

Ooooh – I’ve been looking for a chia seed jam recipe! Someone was telling me all about it the other day, but I was unsure of how to make it… And raspberry is such a gorgeous flavour… Thank you for posting this! :)

YUM. just what i need to make myself – as i too am coming off the two week trying to feel better while not tasting anything blues………..thank you – i am all over it. will let you know how it measures on the divine meter.

Mmmm … I didn’t know you could whip coconut up like that to make a ‘cream’. I’m not keen on real whipped cream so would be keen to see if I like this better. Glad you’re feeling a bit more yourself now, Kate. Winter colds are so yucky and take so long to go awaaaay!

Oooh yes when I saw this on your Instagram this morning I was really hoping to come home and find the recipe sitting in my lineup of blogs to read, and POOF! There it is! I can’t even remember the last time I bought jam because chia jam seems to suit my needs just fine (and I like it so much more!) So sorry to hear you’re not feeling well. You’ve probably already read about this, but ginger, cinnamon and turmeric are my 3 all-time fave natural inflammation fighters. I put them in my smoothies (the turmeric doesn’t have much taste if you keep the quantity to about 1/2 tsp), but also in curries and I love how they taste together. Hope you feel better soon!

Thanks, Angela! I’m so excited to have discovered chia jam. I happen to adore ginger, cinnamon and turmeric, but I never thought to add turmeric to smoothies! I can’t wait to try it! I think it will make my pineapple smoothie look extra pretty.

What a great idea to use chia seeds like pectin to make jam! I will give it a shot, the texture that chia seeds make doesn’t go well with me, but I will try it in a homemade jam and see if I can get them down! Happy Nesting.

Sorry to hear that you haven’t been feeling well Kate. Winter ailments are terrible. Glad that you get to curl up with Cookie though, snuggly and warm in front of the TV. Even better with a bowl of deliciousness for energy, nutrients and healing. I love how food has everything we need for our bodies embedded in it. Thanks for sharing these beautiful recipes, I cannot wait to try this breakfast. get well soon! xxx

I saw your picture on Pinterest yesterday and had to pin it immediately! I didn’t think it was possible but the recipe description sounds even more appetizing that your gorgeous pictures. And whipped coconut cream…never even heard of it but can’t wait to try now! Thank you for sharing. :-)

Hey Lori, great question! Chia seeds are high in Omega-3s and fiber. They absorb an insane amount of water and plump up sort of like tapioca balls. That’s why they help the jam gel up. You can eat them raw, too.

Dear Kate,
This is really a great idea to have for breakfast! I was wondering if you have an idea how long you can keep the jam if I would make more and put it in a jar. I´m not experienced in making jam and thought you might know… Thanks for the inspiration!

Hey Sarah, great question. I haven’t tested the jam’s longevity, but I think it will keep well for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator. I think it will be pretty obvious if it’s gone bad (look for visible mold!).

I made the jam with frozen raspberries this morning. So delicious and easy! I put the jam and an touch of maple syrup on your banana oat pancakes that I made a couple of days ago. Heaven! By the way, I just stored the leftover cooked pancakes in the refrigerator and heated them in the toaster. They came out perfectly. I will make a bigger batch to freeze next time. Thank you for all of your terrific recipes.

Christina, thanks for commenting! I’m so glad the chia jam turned out well for you. I can’t wait to try it with raspberries… I can imagine it’s especially wonderful on banana pancakes! Sounds like I need to make more pancakes, too. Thank you for the toaster tip! I need to try that.

Hey Stacey, I’m sorry, I haven’t looked up the nutrition information. I might start providing that information in the future, but for now, you can always go to myfitnesspal.com to look up those details.

I’ve started toasting my oats, too, as the first step for making oatmeal (after seeing the technique for a savory miso oatmeal), and it makes such a difference. Have been meaning to try a chia jam, I’ll start with this one when our current pot of apricot preserves runs out. Thanks for the nutritious recipe, as always!

I absolutely love your blog, you have some fabulous recipes, especially a fair amount of dairy-free ones (yay!). I’ve been wanting to make coconut whipped cream, I was a bit skeptic at first but it looks really good so Ill have to try it out soon.

We loved this breakfast, Kate! I had such fun making a quick jam in my PJs over the weekend. I toasted a big batch of oats in the oven (because it makes oatmeal-raisin cookies even better!) so this breakfast was super quick, and leftovers reheat beautifully! I didn’t have any coconut cream so I have been subbing dollops of greek yogurt. Its been a while since I was excited about oatmeal :)

Ok, I’ll be the one to ask The Stupid Question: do you defrost the frozen berries first? I assume your recipe would indicate to defrost if that were the case, but I just keep picturing a smoldering pile of frozen berries and a ruined saucepan….

This was the most delicious breakfast! I was really struggling to find something good to make, as out here in Costa Rica we only shop at the farmer’s market once a week on Saturdays, so needed a breakfast with what was in the cupboards. Happened to have everything except for the strawberries, so made it following the recipe and replaced the jam with fresh banana and mango – a tropical version I guess haha! Thanks for sharing, the coconut cream is excellent and I’d have never thought of it on my own.

I made the oatmeal and I loved the way that it tasted after the toasting, but not as much after the soaking. Would it be okay to just forgo the soaking stage?I know undercooked oatmeal can be tough on stomachs.

Just made this for breakfast this morning. OMG so good! It tastes very decadent. I have the house to myself this weekend and thought I would give this a try without the guys. Now I wish they were home to try it! My first time making toasted oatmeal. So much better. I made the chia jam last weekend and we have been eating it all week on yogurt with a little homemade granola sprinkled on top. Yum! I almost thought about skipping the coconut whipped cream. So glad I did not as it put it over the top! Thanks for sharing!!

This oatmeal is a dream come true! I’m a huge fan of oatmeal and I loved this recipe so much that I linked it on my blog under the healthy food inspiration post, I hope it’s no inconvenience for you, otherwise let me know ;)

Just wanted to say thanks so much for sharing this awesome recipe! To be honest I’m not a very good cook so I was a little worried about trying to make this as it seemed like there was a lot of parts to it. However, after my first ever attempt at this recipe it turned out great and my mom really enjoyed it too. I also swapped the strawberries for blueberries and it was delicious. Loved how there was plenty of jam and cream leftover to make it again quickly the next day.

Did not make the jam as I have never bought (or even tried) chia seeds before; however I did make the toasted oatmeal and the coconut whipped cream, and I loved both! With a handful of fresh blueberries, it’s been the perfect segway-into-fall breakfast !

My kids and I loved loved loved this recipe but couldn’t make the coconut cream because it was frozen so solid in the tin there was no way to get it out unless we used a hammer and chisel. Any suggestions for next time as we’d really like to try the cream.

Hmmm, I haven’t had that happen. Did you refrigerate the can or freeze it? It should be in the refrigerator. You might try a different brand of coconut milk next time, and if it’s rock hard, let it warm at room temperature for a bit before trying again.

Kate- you are such a whiz with these recipes. I really enjoy coming onto your site and finding new recipes. Your banana bread and pumpkin muffins are a regular recipe for me especially in the fall! I am making the jam right now and it smells heavenly. Thanks for all of your work!

I was looking for something a little different for breakfast so I made your recipe for toasted oatmeal with strawberry chia jam and whipped coconut milk. What a bowl of deliciousness! I have my 3rd batch of oats toasting now and my kitchen smells like popcorn. Thank you for sharing such a different easy yummy recipe!

Holy moly, this was good! I made this for supper tonight and I couldn’t get enough of it. I already had blueberries in the freezer, so that’s what I used. The hubs loved it too! I’m two for two with your recipes. I made the spicy lentil soup last week – amazing! I’ll be making two more of your recipes in the coming week. So glad I found your blog!

I love this method for oatmeal. Chewy and delicious. Toasting makes anything taste better. I am topping with homemade pumpkin butter but once thats all eaten i’ll be making this chia seed jam. Yummers! Thanks for another great recipe!

So wonderful! I only had fresh, but in season and sweet, strawberries. I cut them up and made a puree using my Nurtibullet. It worked great and because the strawberries were already sweet, I used minimal additional sweeteners. Very filling and flavors work together wonderfully. Thanks for sharing. You have a new follower in me.